New England Patriots Preseason Schedule: BountyGate vs. SpyGate in the Opener

Well, we know a certain four-letter network will have no shortage of topics to talk about in the first week of the preseason.

The New England Patriots will host the New Orleans Saints in the preseason opener. The two most buzzworthy "scandals" in the NFL over the past five years come to a head in a game that doesn't even matter.

Likewise, the Patriots square off against the New York Giants in the final game of the preseason, after squaring off against them in the final game of the postseason (read: Super Bowl XLVI).

Here's the whole schedule, as provided by NFL.com:

Patriots vs. Saints: TBA

Patriots vs. Eagles: Aug. 20, 8pm ET (ESPN)

Patriots at Buccaneers: TBA

Patriots at Giants: TBA

What to Watch For

The struggles of the Patriots secondary in 2011 are chronicled, and they get their preseason started off with matchups against two teams that feature elite-to-solid play at both quarterback and receiver. The Patriots will likely try to mix things up in the secondary as they figure out what personnel grouping is best.

The same could be said for the Giants, who have an elite quarterback (yes, I said it) and two very solid receivers.

Likewise, the Buccaneers are known more for running the ball, so look for the Patriots to mix up their defensive fronts as they gear up for a switch back to the 3-4 or more of the hybrid fronts we saw in 2011.

The Eagles are a highly talented defense that couldn't put it together last year, but other than that, look for the Patriots to try and get Brady on the same page with some of his new toys at receiver against some less-than-intimidating secondaries.

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